Medical Tourism is on the Rise; but is it Safe?

There are benefits and drawbacks of medical tourism, so it is important to consider the risks prior to traveling internationally for medical treatment (Mufid Majnun/Unsplash).

Although healthcare in the U.S. is better than other countries in terms of cleanliness and sanitation, it’s expensive, which is a common reason why people travel internationally for medical treatment.

Article by Isabel Cantor, Associate Medical Reporter

MEXICO CITY - As healthcare costs continue to increase for medical treatments in the United States, medical tourism is becoming an increasingly popular “trend.” Medical tourism is the act of traveling to another country seeking medical treatment, and there are a variety of reasons as to why someone might partake in this growing trend. 

In a fairly recent study that was published in the American Journal of Medicine, it was found that in 2007, approximately 800,000 Americans traveled internationally for medical treatment, but in 2017, over one million Americans did. 

Although healthcare in the U.S. is better than other countries in terms of cleanliness and sanitation, it’s expensive, which is a common reason why people travel internationally for medical treatment. 

Also, according to Elizabeth Ziemba, the president of Medical Tourism Training, “People travel because there may be a long waiting time, wait lists or other reasons why they can't get treatment as quickly as they would like it.” Traveling to another country eliminates the wait, essentially removing the risk of complications prior to the treatment. In addition, there are some medical treatments that are unavailable in the U.S., which makes medical tourism more appealing. 

The recent kidnapping of four U.S. citizens as they were crossing the border to Mexico last month has brought awareness to medical tourism, as one of the victims was traveling for cosmetic surgery. In fact, cosmetic surgery is typically not covered by health insurance, as it is considered an elective surgery, so this is a common medical specialty that people seek treatment for outside of the country. 

While medical tourism might sound like a better option for some people than medical treatment in the U.S., there are risks that come with medical tourism that could be very serious. First of all, depending on the person’s condition, just traveling could pose a risk on their health. Specifically, traveling with an orthopedic injury could be unsafe. 

Also, due to conditions that are not as clean as they should be, infections are common after surgery. There have been cases where people have had to return to the U.S. for further treatment as a result of this. 

There are benefits and drawbacks of medical tourism, so it is important to consider the risks prior to traveling internationally for medical treatment.